Protex Central, a fire protection service provider, will be on campus Monday, March 16, through Wednesday, March 18, to complete an annual inspection of fire panels on campus. During this process, the horns and strobes will be activated for a very brief moment.
For questions, contact Mitch Wieczorek at mitchell.wieczorek@drake.edu.
— Mitch Wieczorek, Facilities Planning and Management
Recreational Services would like your feedback regarding our facilities, programs, and services. Please take our short survey, which will provide valuable feedback on how we can improve our services. Thank you in advance for your participation.
Golf: For Business and Life is a non-credit course that provides you with group golf lessons. The lessons are taught at Glen Oaks Country Club by a professional. The program teaches you how to perform basic golf skills and terminology. The class is designed for all skill levels and beginners are encouraged to participate. The deadline to register is March 11. Lessons will begin March 23 and the cost for the program is $80. Apply today.
If you have any questions or need more information, please reach out to Lisa Murphy at lisa.murphy@drake.edu.
— Lisa Murphy, Director, Recreational Services
Next Wednesday, Feb. 26, is Ash Wednesday and the start of the Lent season for Christians. Some of your fellow classmates and colleagues may be wearing a cross sign on their forehead in celebration and may be off campus observing the holiday. Additionally throughout the 40-day period of lent, please be mindful that some of your classmates and colleagues may be fasting. Find more information on various holidays happening throughout the year.
— Erin Lain, Associate Provost, Campus Equity & Inclusion
Members of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter at Drake are participating in the PRSSA 2020 Bateman Case Study Competition.
As part of this competition, the team was asked to develop and implement a comprehensive communications campaign that complements the current communications goals of the 2020 Census. The goal is to reach audiences in the Drake community, as well as the Des Moines metropolitan area, and encourage them to participate, educate people about the value of the census, as well as informing the community about the source of quality data available from the Census Bureau about their communities.
The team designed a survey to collect insights regarding Drake members’ current knowledge of the 2020 Iowa Census. Please take the survey and answer the questions based on existing knowledge. Any external assistance, including online resources, is not permitted.
Information collected will only be used for the purpose of completing this project. Thank you for your support and participation!
— Phong Ly, JO/AS’ 20
Nominations are now being accepted for the Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence and Distinguished Community Service Awards. Nominations are due to Human Resources by Tuesday, March 31, at 4:30 p.m. Late nominations will not be accepted.
Distinguished Community Service Award
Madelyn M. Levitt established the Distinguished Community Service Award to recognize the outstanding contributions of Drake faculty and staff to the Drake community. Recipients are chosen on the following criteria:
Employee Excellence Award
The Employee Excellence Award is presented to a staff member who demonstrates exceptional commitment to excellence in the performance of their duties. Criteria for the award include:
To nominate a colleague, submit a letter of nomination to the Levitt Award Committee, care of (c/o) Human Resources. Nomination letters may be sent through campus mail or electronically to drakehr@drake.edu. The letter should detail specific examples of how the nominee exemplifies each of the applicable criteria. Additional letters of support are not necessary.
The screening committee will review all nominations and make appropriate recommendations to the President’s Council.
The 2020 recipient of the Madelyn M. Levitt Employee Excellence Award and Distinguished Community Service Award will be announced during the Sapphire Awards on May 7 at 1 p.m. in Levitt Hall or during the Faculty Honors Luncheon.
Please consider nominating a colleague for the second annual Philanthropy Bug Award. Submissions are due to Emily Weaver by Friday, March 20.
The Philanthropy Bug Award recognizes faculty and staff members who embody Maddie Levitt’s spirit of philanthropy and service to Drake University. Maddie Levitt was a longtime volunteer, friend, and tireless advocate for Drake University.
Throughout her years of service to Drake, her beloved yellow Volkswagen Bug was a constant presence outside of Old Main, and it became a symbol of her enduring commitment to bettering Drake University for future generations of students.
If you would like to nominate a colleague who you think exemplifies Maddie’s spirit of philanthropy and generosity please submit their name, title, and a short paragraph explaining why you believe they are deserving of the award to Emily Weaver, director of donor engagement, at emily.weaver@drake.edu by Friday, March 20.
Last year’s recipients included Dan Alexander, Deb DeLaet, and Jen Harvey. These three faculty members were recognized for their efforts to establish the Catalyst Scholarship and Emergency Fund.
Award winner(s) will be celebrated at a Faculty/Staff Donor Appreciation Breakfast on May 6.
— Emily Weaver, University Advancement
Drake’s All Staff Council Recognition Committee recently recognized Law School staff with a Bulldog Applause. Read the Q&A below to learn more about the Law School team.
How many staff members are in the department?
The Law School employs 28 support staff and administrative personnel in areas including admission, student services, career development, marketing, alumni relations, advancement, Legal Clinic administration, and general support to the faculty and deans.
Who has been with the team the longest?
The longest serving member of the team is Kara Blanchard, assistant dean for admission and financial aid. Kara joined the Law School in 1996—24 years ago.
Who is the newest team member?
The newest member of the team is Elicia Ropte, public services associate in the Drake Law Library. Elicia joined the Law School staff last fall.
What campus buildings do your team members “live” in?
Law School staff work in Cartwright Hall, Opperman Hall, and the Neal and Bea Smith Law Center.
Anything else noteworthy/interesting/special about your department that bears mentioning?
Serving on the Law School staff is like being part of a big family. We support each other’s ups and downs, someone always has your back, and we throw a mean pot luck!
The Olmsted parking lot (lot 16) will be closed for the campus Job Fair Thursday, Feb. 13, from 6 a.m.–5 p.m. We apologize for the inconvenience. The closure is necessary to accommodate this large, campus-wide program. Yellow–Zone 1 passes will be honored in all non-premium commuter lots on Thursday (not lot 13/Ray Promenade or lot 18/Stadium lot).
— Scott Law
The Office of University Communications and Marketing has developed an online tool to share news of faculty and staff accomplishments. Accessible at http://www.drake.edu/accomplishments, you are able to write a complete story for submission to the newsroom, including the option to upload a relevant photo. The form is designed to act like a minimalistic word processor, capable of adding links, bullet points, and other style choices.
Submission of this form creates a draft story on the back-end of our newsroom. The communications team is notified of the presence of a new story so that we may make any necessary changes to accommodate Drake’s style guide or other minor editorial changes prior to publication. This process is designed to speed the process of sharing good news and to help ensure accuracy of what is published online. Following review, the story will be published to the University’s online newsroom, and you will then have an active link to share via social media, email, and other means.
Articles submitted to this form are reviewed weekly. In cases where a quicker turnaround is required, please reach out directly to Jarad Bernstein, director of communications at jarad.bernstein@drake.edu.
— Jarad Bernstein, University Communications and Marketing
